British soldiers were drunk, driving armored vehicles and crashed a series of cars

Video posted by British media on July 24 shows the Bulldog armored personnel carrier speeding along a narrow road with many cars parked at Swinton barracks in Tidworth garrison in Perham Down village, Wiltshire county. The car staggered and collided with a series of vehicles.

The soldiers in the vehicle seemed to have stepped on the accelerator at full throttle, causing the 15-ton Bulldog to reach a maximum speed of about 51 km/h. At least one minivan and one SUV were severely damaged, with damage estimated at 100,000 pounds ($135,000).

Military sources said two soldiers sitting on armored vehicles drank alcohol outside the barracks before returning at around 1:00 a.m. on July 24. One person directly controls the Bulldog, while the other person accompanies it, because this vehicle model normally requires a two-person crew.

The drunk soldier then drove the Bulldog to park it neatly in the designated place, then calmly returned to the soldiers’ housing area. Photos of the scene show that the armored vehicle was parked neatly and undamaged, and the cars parked around it were still intact. No one was injured in the incident.

The person directly driving the vehicle was arrested in the room at dawn, after other soldiers discovered the chaotic scene. The accompanying person was also detained.

A British military spokesman confirmed two soldiers had been captured, but declined to provide further information. “We hold our service members to the highest standards. We will not comment further while the investigation is underway,” the spokesman said.

The FV430 Mk3 Bulldog is an armored personnel carrier launched in late 2006, based on the FV430 infantry fighting vehicle line used by the UK since the 1960s. The vehicle is supplemented with many armor blocks to deal with the concave explosive head of the RPG-7 anti-tank gun, serving campaigns against rebels in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Each Bulldog is 5.2 m long, 2.8 m wide and weighs 15.3 tons. Upgrades to the engine and control system allow the vehicle to reach a maximum speed of 72 km/h.